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Thread: good areas in wellington ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Default good areas in wellington ?

    So I have arrived in Wellington and have started a property search. I am thinking of renting and eventually buying in Wellington / Porirua / Lower Hut area. Basically anywhere within good commuting distance and time to Wellington.

    But I have already found that the good and bad areas are very patchy over here. Anyone got a list of areas to avoid ? Or a good way of knowing which areas are ok ? Ive already been told for instance that Cannon's Creek can be rough.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    Wellington
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    As you already said, there are good and bad areas but it's not so clear cut here as in the UK! I used to live in Ngaio, which is quite a nice area and I had a nice rental property but it was next door to a 'bogun' (chav) petrol head who, with his 5 kids, made my life hell!

    What kinds of things are you looking at in terms of lifestyle e.g. school, sports, close to sea etc... we need more clues to help you :-)

    I live in Lower Hutt (on the western hills) and researched the local areas thoroughly before I bought in the place that suited my personal needs.

  3. #3
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    england
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    Well I would be interested in schools, not too worried about commuting as I plan to pick up a car so transport will be handled. And I dont need to be near the sea as I can travel. I just want to avoid those really horrible areas,

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
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    Wellington
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    Most areas have good primary schools and access to at least one good High School or college but central Wellington has of course the best choice for schools, public and private.

    Personally as the suburbs are so varried here, I'd get a short term rental, live here for a month or so and get to know the place before committing to a longer term rental and especially buying.

    Regarding the commute, driving in can take time at rush hour especially from the North, but many people do it.

    There are a few threads around about the suburbs and where to live, but to be honest everyone has their own favorite.

    I can PM you with my opinions if you like.

  5. #5
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    Sep 2008
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    wlg
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    I had considered the following primary schools which I liked - both the ones in Karori, the one in Churton Park and the one in Khandallah. Of course there are many which I did not checkout as I decided on Karori Normal.

    Remember that there are zones for schools. How old are your kids - primary or secondary?

    Hope this helps. Best of luck and do ask questions.

    Ciao

  6. #6
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    Mar 2010
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    england
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    My son is seven years old and will be arriving in about three months.

  7. #7
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    Aug 2008
    Location
    Wellington
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    There are lots of good primary schools. Don't know if you know how schools are organised here but many schools are zoned but some are not. All schools are rated according to decile which has nothing to do with performance but to do with the relative number of kids from poorer social ecconomic backgorunds (1 is low 10 is high). The lower the score the poorer the kids but the more funding though and the lower your contribution will be. HOWEVER there is a link between performance, behaviour and decile rating (That might not be the PC thing to say but for many many cases it's true). There are school reports available. You can get information on line about each school, the zones and the declie rating along with recent reports - http://www.tki.org.nz/e/schools/.

    If you are working in the city and are happy to drive up to 45 mintues (and pay parking costs) then all city suburbs are open to you along with Hutt City and Porirua. I have sent you a PM with my thoughts.

    Have you any other preferences?

    BTW - Wellington is a GREAT place to come to...think of a city by the sea, with the feel of a small town, and all the facilities of a capital city!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    england
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    Many thanks to all of you who replied and also sent me pm's. The schools web site is great and will help me choose areas. Ive also found crime stats in the local paper ( kapi - mana ) which will also help. So armed with that and my finance details I should be set to start my property hunting. Thanks.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2008
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    Wellington
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    I'm up in Aotea near Porirua. It's zoned for Papakowhai (primary) school, which is fantastic and my daughter goes to (she's 8 and has absolutely excelled there). Pretty much all of Aotea, Papakowhai, Whitby, Plimmerton, Camborne, Paremata, Pauatahanui, Mana and Pukerua Bay - hope I didn't forget any! - are all zoned for Aotea College (age 14-18). I was chatting to my daughter's teacher today, who is also assistant principal at the school, and he said there are about 1,000 students there. Nothing compared to the (one of the?) Hutt Valley colleges which has 3,000!!!

    Our house is on the market if you're after a 4-bed, 2-bath villa, with heat in every room, great insulation and double-glazing!
    Last edited by M-Squared; 28th July 2010 at 09:55 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    37,822

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    Hey, Mike, you can change your location now.

    Good luck with the house-hunting.

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